Men and women present themselves in different ways. In "Ways of Seeing," Jon Berger vividly describes the roles of men and women in society. Men have a physical presence and seem to show what they have to offer through their exterior. Women, however, tend to watch themselves. They are conscious of their appearance to themselves and others. Berger mentioned that a woman is both the "surveyor" and the "surveyed". Women constantly survey themselves and critique their every flaw. They are also aware of the people that watch them. Women judge others just as much as they judge themselves. This is a very intriguing topic and it is very relevant today. The media always shows women as objects and men as the dominant figures. Women are critiqued on their every move as the men just sit back and observe. It's obvious why women are so self conscious. The appearance of a woman is a preview of what she has to offer.
Berger also talks about the topic of nakedness versus nudity. He says "to be naked is to be oneself" and "to be nude is to be seen naked by others and yet not recognized for oneself". Nakedness reveals the true identity of the person. Nudity is a display for others and not showing the true identity of oneself. This concept is confusing to me. I used to think that nakedness and nudity were the same thing. After reading this, however, it gave me a different perspective on these words. Being naked is putting one's true self out there. Being nude is showing one's physical appearance but not really showing the person inside. Nothing can be hidden when naked.
I liked this reading a lot. It gave an interesting perspective of different topics and really made me think. In the words of Berger, "men act and women appear". Even though stress is put upon females for their appearance, it is up to the man to show what he has to offer as well.
No comments:
Post a Comment